DCE calls for investigations into funds raised in aid of children's block

Kyebi(E/R), Dec. 17, GNA- The East Akim District Chief Executive, Mr. Emmanuel Victor Asihene, has called for an investigation into the accounts submitted by the New Tafo Government Hospital Management Committee for funds raising function organized last year towards the completion of the Children's Block of the hospital. He has, therefore, directed the District Director of Health Services to set up a committee to go into the accounts submitted by the Hospital Management Committee on the fund raising activity of the hospital.

Mr Asihene gave the directives in an address to the third Ordinary Meeting of the East Akim District Assembly at Kyebi on Friday, when he said the Assembly was dissatisfied with the total income declared by the Committee on the function. He explained that at the said fund raising ceremony, he pledged 400 million cedis on behalf of the District Assembly which had been honoured, saying all the procedures had been completed for the award of the contract before the end of the year.

However, Mr Asihene said when the Assembly demanded from the New Tafo Government Hospital Management Committee(HMC) the income from the fund raising ceremony, a letter from the Management Committee indicated that only 108.9 million cedis was realized from the function and with 88 million cedis spent on expenses, it was left with a balance of only 20.9 million cedis. Mr Asihene said later, he received another income and expenditure statement from the same Committee which indicated that an income of 87 million cedis was realized and 78 million cedis was used leaving a balance of 8.8 million cedis. According to the DCE, the income and expenditure items on the two statements were "very different and in some cases items were inflated with some donations not acknowledged at all."

Mr Asihene said initial investigations had so far presented a "very sordid picture and provides all the ingredients for a thorough investigation into the ceremony." He said as at the end of November, the Assembly had been able to collect 78 per cent of its targeted internally-generated revenue of over 908 million cedis. The DCE said in 2003 and 2004, the Assembly was able to exceed its targets and therefore, appealed to Assembly members to support the Assembly to collect all monies due it. He announced that the Assembly had decided to subsidize the District Health Insurance Scheme by 10,000 cedis per beneficiary and appealed to the Assembly members to join the scheme implementors in sensitising the public for a wider coverage.

Mr Asihene explained that the registration fees was still 72,000 cedis but the administrative cost had gone up to 38,000 cedis bringing the total cost of registration in the district to 110,000 cedis hence the decision of the Assembly to pay for the extra 10,000 cedis so that people in the informal sector could continue to pay 100,000 cedis towards their registration.